Up, up and away
Keys went on a date at the local club, a singer of some talent, Nick almost became a third wheel but decided to leave them to it and join Lex down the pub. Meanwhile Alt was doing penance at his brother's church of Mortal God. He'd been cornered by Tomas Becker, a devout and evangelical member of the church, “Mr Merrin. Alt. Your brother recommended you to us. We just need a little favour and in return, God will provide.”
Alt pushed through the door of the pub, went straight to the bar and ordered a pint of “brown”, he watched as the bubbles slowly settled, something dark floated in its depths, he took a deep swig and kept it down.
Turning around he saw a vingeray looking old harridan lurch from the table where Lex and Nick sat, they seemed relieved, breathing out heavily and clinking their glasses. Alt sat down next to them, “Oh Nick, lucky Nick, fortuitous Nick, blessed Nick. Today God has offered you a deal you will find hard to turn down.” Nick’s grin disappeared and his face got darker. Alt talked enthusiastically about the Church's offer. Put simply they would push the food bank collection that Nick had set-up, a generous 3.5% “tithe” would be winding its way to Nick IF, if someone was to clear out Tower 7, Floor 7, Room 7. Which would be fine if it hadn't just been taken over by the Rose gang.
Nick looked up at Alt, “Maybe I could talk to them, but I dunno, I was thinking it was a bad...” Alt grinned, “Tomorrow?” Nick looked pleadingly at Lex, Lex smiled and shrugged, Nick looked back to Alt, shrugged and nodded.
Rain had been falling hard, it streamed down the empty lift shaft. Alt, Lex, Keys and Nick clung to the sides of Lift Shaft A, listening as whoops and hollers were heard from the other side of the Tower, Lift Shaft B. They shouldn't be here, this was Risers territory and that meant they were in the highest and most dangerous location in Tower 7. They definitely shouldn't be here at night.
Lex adjusted his IR goggles, seeing blurred heat images climbing up the parallel shaft. Lex paused and zoomed in, he could see a rope and someone was attached to it, kicking and struggling. Lex turned to Nick, Nick was flexing his fingers, the rain was cold and his bones ached. Lex whispered, “The Risers have a prisoner, we should follow them, a chance to do some good.”
With that, Lex pulled himself out of the shaft and onto a flat concrete floor, he trotted off into the dark. The others, surprised, scrambled up and out to follow him.
They could hear the Risers giggling and screaming at each other, much of what they said made little sense. Some kind of street lingo interspersed with animalistic hoots and hollers. Lex looked back at his group, they looked pretty scared, his own heart was bouncing against his rib cage. “I can see their prisoner, he's on the floor near the back. I'll deal with the guard, Nick will grab the prisoner and the rest of you, er, do your thing.” Various nods, thumbs ups and “What?”, greeted Nick's plan, but he had already gone.
Lex exploded out of the dark, swinging a grappling hook round his head. A Riser stood up, stepped to the side and a meaty hand on his back sent Lex sprawling to the floor, he rolled and tumbled to a painful stop in front of a group of Risers and got gingerly to his feet, looking back he saw Nick dragging the prisoner into the dark.
A ring of grinning, feral, subhumans licked their lips, snorted and began to close in…
